Softly Snowing
by Yemi Hikari
Summary: Prejudical eyes followed Toshiro around as a child, before he went into the academy. He believed that no one outside granny and Momo thought of him as anything but a jinx. However, his careful eyes missed something he hadn't expected to see.
1. Why Prejudice?

_Disclaimer – I do not own Bleach._

**Softly Snowing  
~ Why Prejudice? ~**

Sometimes when one is little, older people can do hurtful things for seemingly no reason. At times, it seems like they become a person that one doesn't even know, or know what to do about. As children, people tend not to show these sides of themselves to you, other times that is the only side that they show, a side that really isn't themselves, but it is a shield placed over their hearts.

Kamoku Hana was equivalent to a four year old in age and had not been shown the animosity that one could show another human being, as being the only girl in the family; she ended up being rather sheltered from the outside world, rarely getting to venture outside the doors of her house. The same though could be said of her brother Hito, but for a completely different reason.

Hito was twins with Shirezu, who were the middle children, supposedly identical from birth except for one slight problem. Hito happened to have a hunger that his parents, not knowing about the signs of a person having reiatsu, could explain. He thus had happened to have an illness, one that doctors had said wasn't there, but their parents had believed to be.

Hana also had a hunger, but her parents had brushed this off as a silly mimicking of her brother for attention, or because she was so young, she didn't understand what mimicking was. However, due to the fact that the family was one of those that actually had meals, she had no problem satisfying her hunger.

Her days were spent inside with Hito, the sound of the outside pouring into her ears. The few times she had gone out, she had gotten a scratched knee, or some other injury, so Shirezu and his twin, along with their eldest brother Nashini, were to keep a close eye on her to make sure that she didn't wander off.

Hito, due to his parents insisting he was ill, developed a very sleepy personality, and thus had little energy to move about. That, or his reiatsu was starved from not getting enough food. But this was really something that no one really knew about. A few of the neighborhood children would stop in and visit though, as they were friends of her older siblings.

One day, when no one came to visit, Hana saw something that she never saw before, white flakes coming down from the sky. "Hito… what is that?"

"That… that is snow falling," the boy mummery from his trance, suddenly rubbing her light colored hair.

"But snow is very cold and is filled with blankets upon blankets of whiteness," the girl suddenly stated. "And mother and father say I shouldn't touch it. How am I not to touch it if it is falling. It can't be snow."

"Then call it something else… think of a name for it," the boy stated. "If it doesn't have the name snow and doesn't look like the snow you know, then name it something else."

"Bunny flies. It looks like flies that are soft and fluffy like bunnies," the girl stated in her childish way, as children are supposed to do, causing her brother to smirk at her and raise an eyebrow. "Since it isn't snow, may I go out in it?"

"Sure…" the boy stated, a smile on his face as she stepped out. He felt that no harm could come to her if he kept his eyes open. However, the sleep came to him when he would rather it not, and the next thing he knew was that Shirezu was shaking his twin awake.

"Your getting covered in snow Hito, where is Hana?" the older boy suddenly asked.

"Hana… she was…" the boy glanced around, shock coming onto his face. "She… I was watching her… honest…"

"Nashini is supposed to stay with the two of you when I'm not here for this very reason! You can't stay awake!" the other boy muttered, hurrying off to find their young sister.

**M**

Hana had wandered off as she had wanted to explore, and when Hito fell asleep, this was the best time to do so. She figured she could get back to their small house if she kept in mind landmarks. As soon as she found the snow about six inches deep, she realized she should be heading back, however, the landmarks she had seen were covered by snow, but _bunny flies _eventually became snow.

Thus, she began to wander, her feet hurting from walking so much, her body becoming cold and numb, while her stomach began to roar with hunger. Eventually she found her way into a sheltered alley way. "Snow is no fun… it is no wonder that mother and father don't let me out in it."

"Of course it is no fun," came a voice near by, causing her to turn to also see a boy around the age of four that had also taken refuge in the alleyway, at least for the brief amount of time it would take him to eat the meal he had on him. His head was covered with… what she thought was snow. "Snow is cold, it is wet… but it is home."

"How can you call snow home?" the girl startled. "And why do you have snow on your head… isn't that cold."

"Baka…" the boy turned two teal eyes towards her. "I don't have snow on my head, I have hair."

"But it is so white," the girl muttered, reaching out to touch it, finding it soft, but also that the boy had pulled away as she touched it.

"I didn't give you permission to touch me," he muttered, glaring at her.

"Oh… well you didn't answer my other question, how is snow like home?" the girl suddenly asked.

"Because… I can't really explain it, except I died on an ice plain. That is probably why my hair is as white as it is," the boy suddenly commented.

Hana wanted to reach out and touch his hair again, her child like curiosity getting the better of her, she reached out, only to have the boy suddenly grab her hand. "I told you… I didn't give you permission to touch me."

"I didn't give you permission to touch me," the girl suddenly stated, making a pouting face as the boy let go of her hand.

"You invaded my privacy first," the boy muttered, taking a bit of one of the buns he had with him. "So that gives me the right to stop you. Why are you out and about right now?"

"I got lost," she stated, he stomach suddenly let out a growling sound. This caused him to suddenly turn an eye on her, stopping as he bit down. He chewed the food and swallowed, then picked up one of the buns and handed it to her, a look of indignity on her face.

"Ahh… thank you," Hana muttered as she took the bun and bit into it. "This is good."

"Granny is the best there is when it comes to making food," the boy started to smile, the stopped. "And anyways… she would tan my hide if she found out I didn't give you any. So… you have reiatsu like bed wetter Momo and me?"

"What's reiatsu and how do you know you have it?" the girl continued to chew.

"Because you get hungry," the boy stated.

"So that is what my brother has… and me too," the Hana muttered as she took another bite into the bun. "Is the disease contagious?"

"Disease? Baka!" the boy had an irritated look on his face. "Reiatsu isn't a disease or sickness. It's … if one has reiatsu, one has the ability to become a shingami."

"Do you want to become a shingami," she had to ask.

"No… being a shingami is stupid," the boy stated. However, something in his eyes made Hana think he was lying.

"What is your name?" the girl suddenly asked.

"None of your business," the boy stated, shoving a whole bun in his mouth very rudely.

"I want to go home," Hana suddenly bemoaned. "I was very bad to wander off."

"Where do you live?" the boy suddenly asked.

"I don't know," came the sigh.

"Baka… you can't stay out in the snow like this," the boy stated suddenly standing up, and holding out his hand. She grabbed it and he pulled her up, only to have him let go of her hand like an electric shock ran through it. He wiped it off on his clothing, then grabbed the sleeve of her clothing and began to gently tug.

"What are you doing?" the girl suddenly asked.

"Taking you to granny and Hinamori, as I am sure they will help you find your home," the boy suddenly stated, tugging her behind him, trying to use his body as a buffer against the snow.

"The _bunny flies _are falling faster," the girl suddenly stated.

"Baka… snow is snow, changing the name doesn't change that," the boy suddenly stated.

"What the hell are you doing with my sister?" came a voice that was familiar to both.

The boy's whole body tensed and the word shit came out of his mouth as he suddenly turned to glance at the boy who was running over with his friends. He let go of Hana's sleeve and suddenly found a fist making contact with his eye and he felt himself falling into the snow.

"Nashini… he was trying to help me!" the girl protested, only to have the older boy twist her arm. That was when something unexpected happened, and Toshiro lunged at the boy, only to be knocked back again. Bruising could already be seen on Hana's arm, due to how rough the other boy was on him.

Shirezu though came running up and grabbed Hana away from him. "What happened to her arm?"

"The little brat happened," the boy suddenly stated, throwing a nice kick him in the ribs. A few more kicks came, then he turned away. "I don't have time to deal with him today, let's go."

Hana found herself being carried away by the younger of the two brothers, she glanced over his shoulder, only to see that the boy had disappeared.

**M**

Hita wrapped her arm up when she got home and gave her a lecture about wandering away like that. Hana then told him about him not really being sick, which caused him to look at her in shock as she explained reiatsu to him, "Who told you that Hana?"

"The white haired boy," came her reply.

"The one who hurt you?" the boy sighed.

"He didn't hurt me, Nashini did," the girl suddenly stated. "Why did Nashini hurt him like that, he didn't do anything except help me."

"What exactly did this boy do to help you?" Hita asked calmly.

"He gave me a bun to eat because I was hungry, then he was going to take me to his granny so that she could help me find my way home," the girl stated.

"It is best you didn't go with Hitsugaya Toshiro," the boy suddenly stated.

"But why… he around my age isn't he," the girl suddenly became confused.

"No one around her likes him. You saw his hair and eyes, and how unusual they were color wise. People think of him as a jinx. Mother and father even have blamed us being the way we are on him. People want him gone from here, but they don't have the heart to chase him away, due to his grandmother and Hinamori Momo,"

"That is cruel," the girl sighed. "And that isn't right either… he's done nothing wrong."

"No… but sometimes grown ups do things they shouldn't do just because people think they're different."

"Kind of like you?" she suddenly asked.

"Uhh… I think it is time you lie down for your nap," the boy stammered out, shoeing his young sister away.

_

* * *

_

Author's note – I am a fan of Toshiro paired with the following; Karin, Lilinette (due to some of the things currently going on in the Manga), Yuzu and well written OCs. I don't like Momo, Rangiku, Rukia, and quite a few others as I see it as pedophilism. Yachiru is up in the air as I am having a problem determining her equivalent age.

_Anyways, what inspired this fanfic is all the fanfics that have OCs that are supposed to be Toshiro's childhood friend, when he was never able to make friends easily, and all the ones pairing him with someone in the academy in his same year, as he was the youngest to graduate, making him the oldest. _

_Hana's crush on in this fanfic is going to be a childish crush, which is appropriate for the age. Because of this, don't expect them to actually get together in this fanfic… I mean, four to seven year olds having a serious romantic fling? I don't think so, and that is the age that they'll be equivalently in this fanfic._

_As for names, Kamoku means shyness, Hana flower, Nashini without and Hitashirezu hidden. Thus, Hana's name means basically, shy flower, Nashini's without shyness and the twins mean hidden shyness. Thanks goes to AkuMa HiKaRi… as she asked me if I am such a good writer and like good Toshiro x Pairings why I haven't written one yet. Don't know when I'll update, as I have multiple fanfic projects._


	2. Going to School

**Softly Snowing  
~ Going to School ~**

No matter how much time passed, Hana couldn't get that memory of the boy with white hair out of her mind, not to mention how her eldest brother Nashini had treated the boy. She knew that Hitsugaya Toshiro had done nothing wrong, but for Nashini to have turned it around and said that her injuries were caused by the boy was not something she could understand.

Of course, she had always thought of her brothers as kind people, but once Nashini had shown that rough side of her, some things around the house changed, or more of, she noticed them. When Shirezu wasn't around, she began to see Nashini treat Hita with disdain, as if he didn't like the fact he had to watch the boy everyday. Hita would also never say anything.

While Nashini would never physically abuse Hana and Hita, possibly because these kinds of actions would show through, he did in fact go and use what verbal abuse that he could, as he knew that neither had the confidence to tell anyone what he said. He would come down on Hita for being as sickly as he was and costing the family money, while he told Hana the only thing that she was good for was marring off.

When Hana finally reached the age that she could go to school, Nashini was not at all happy with the situation, and voiced his negativities for once to Shirezu. "A female should not be going to school. What do they think that she can get out of learning to read and write?"

"What do they think we can get out of learning to read and write?" Shirezu responded, emotionless. "Most of the jobs here don't require much reading or writing. I think it is just to get us to feel like we have something, when we really do not."

"Even more so for a female not to learn," the boy muttered.

"Except even here, learning reading and writing makes Hana more inclined for a good marriage. That is the only reason mama and papa are letting her go," the boy stood up, the subject obviously closed.

"Is that all Hana is good for? For marriage," Nashini spat on the ground.

Shirezu turned to him, his eyes rather cold. "Nashini… Hana is the light of mother and father's eyes. Don't belittle that. Also, females are for the males in the family to protect."

Hana had the feeling that neither of the boys had known that she had overheard their conversation, but suddenly something that she had been looking forward too became something that she wasn't as excited about, and her nervousness began to grow. She began to dread her first day.

**M**

On the first day of school, Nashini had a hold on her arm that was tight, and his hand was sure to leave bruising on her arm. She had the few supplies that she needed, a wax tablet for writing letters in and a stick, the beginning supplies for a student at the school. They were rather large under her arm.

When she arrived there, she found that there were short desks that could easily be moved around, close to the floor for learning to write. A few other females were in the classroom and she found herself, moving behind her two brothers. Hita didn't get to come to school because of his illness, which made her somewhat sad.

The teacher then had the students introduce themselves, and Hita took a bow to the class. "My name is Hana. It is nice to meet you."

"Hana… you are supposed to say your last name with your first," the teacher suddenly stated.

"Oh… sorry. My name is Hana Kamoku. Nice to meet you," the young girl bowed again.

"From now on, last name before first. No need to repeat," the woman smiled. She slowly had the children introduce themselves. There were two children by the names of Tatsukichi and Ayumi. After everything had gone through their names, the teacher turned to them. "Have either of you seen Hinamori Momo? I've never known her to miss school or to be late?"

The two glanced at each other, as if they knew why Hinamori was late that day, however for some reason they didn't wish to talk about the reason, almost as if it was taboo. However, the question for why the girl was running late soon became answered, by the fact that they heard a child's voice come from the school yard. "I don't want to go!"

"Come on Shiro-chan… it isn't as bad as you think! You'll have fun, I promise!" came an older girl's voice. A few seconds later, the girl came in, dragging in a small boy with white hair and teal eyes. "I am sorry that I am late. My name is Hinamori Momo. It is nice to meet all of you new students."

However, a bunch of eyes had turned towards Toshiro, and were staring at him. The small boy leaned into the girls legs, as if he wanted to get away from there. The only smile for him came from the teacher, who went over and places a hand on his head. "Hinamori's told me quite a bit about you. Would you please share your name with the class."

"Hai sensei," the boy responded, however, before he could give his name, some of the younger students spoke up.

"Why does he have white hair," one of the boys commented. "He looks like he is an old man, not a kid like us."

This kid found himself elbowed by another, whispering carefully. "Not in front of Hinamori-san."

"My name is Hitsugaya Toshiro. It isn't a pleasure to meet you as I would rather not be here," the boy suddenly blurted out, staring at the ground, his teal eyes trying not to look anyone in the face.

"Shiro-chan! That wasn't very nice!" the girl frowned, then gave him a warm smile. "I am going to sit with Tennchin and A-chan. You be good and try to make some friends, ne? Don't act so cold!"

Momo went and sat down with the two children, while the boy with teal eyes just stared at everyone, while everyone just stared back. Hana picked up that most of them had some sort of fear of him, while others had a complete disgust. As she stared at him, she felt a sort of enigma about him, something that she found to be scary in some ways, but in others made her fill safe.

Before she could even begin to try to place a finger on it, a girl next to her pulled on her sleeve. "I am Ren-chan. Would you be my friend?"

Hana nodded her head, happy to have found a friend, but turning back to the boy, whom the teacher had to lead to a desk, she could feel that no one wanted to be his friends. Ren shook her head at him, whispering in her ear. "Mama says he's a jinx… he just showed up out of nowhere. His hair color and eye color are completely unnatural. She says children shouldn't have white hair…"

"But is that a reason to shun him?" Hana suddenly asked.

"There is an odd feeling about him, almost as if he was a demon," the girl stated. "Everyone says he is a demon, and if he touches you, you will get hurt. That is why our older siblings say we shouldn't play with him. He's scary… and cold… you saw how he treated the class. That was mean!"

"But didn't we start it, staring at him like that?" Hana asked.

"No… it's been going on for a long time," the girl stated. "Be careful of him."

Before either of the girls could say anything more, the teacher called them to attention, causing them to begin their lessons. She asked the older students to repeat what they already knew. Nashini came up with the lesson that he was supposed to have memorized, some sort of foreign language. The next thing everyone knew, Toshiro was saying nearly the same thing, except different.

"I'm sorry sensei!" Hinamori suddenly apologized. "I've been saying my lessons at home, and Shiro-chan picked up on them, as he helped correct me when I was wrong!"

"He didn't have to correct me!" Nashini turned to glare at the small boy, to which the boy glanced at the ground.

"Hitsugaya… while it is nice that you are very much wanting to learn, wait until it is your turn please," the woman teacher smiled at him. However, quite a few of the other students glared at him.

**M**

Toshiro made to walk home with Hinamori after school, but a glare from Hana's eldest brother made him stop, and tell the older girl that he would be fine walking home on his own. He then found himself ganged up on by Nashini's friends. The older boy let a punch go, hard and into the face of the small boy. "Why did you have to make me look bad like that?"

Toshiro didn't awnser, except stood there, ready to take another hit. Hana, who had been watching, suddenly went and grabbed her older brother's arm. "Stop it!"

"Hana, stay out of this!" the boy stated, suddenly swinging so that the small girl went flying. She stood back up, only to find that her brother smacked her cheek, and hard. Then came what no one expected. Toshiro suddenly lunged at the older boy, knocking him off his feet and began to pummel him. Anger came from his eyes, however, due to his small size and lack of fighting experience, a few of the older boys pulled him off. "What makes you think you can attack me like that?"

"Granny says one must never hit a girl!" the young boy blurted out. "Least of all your own sister!"

"Ahh… she's told you to never hit Momo-chan," the older boy scoffed. "I've told you before, Hinamori isn't your sister, so stop calling her your sister, idiot!"

Nashini then launched a punch into the small boys gut, just as Shirezu came out of the small classroom. "What are you trying to do Nashini? I don't recall that being a fair fight? And your fighting in front of Hana… don't you have any manners at all? Why does Hana have this brusing on her face?"

"It's the fault of the brat," Nashini glared at the small boy, who glanced at the ground.

Shirezu glanced at Toshiro, "You did this?"

"It is my fault," Toshiro commented, glancing away, referring to the fact that if Hana hadn't stepped in to help him, she wouldn't have gotten hurt.

"Let him go Nashini… it isn't worth getting cursed with bad luck is it?" the younger of the two Kamoku brothers narrowed his eyes. The boys holding onto Toshiro suddenly let go of the boy, allowing him to escape. "I also wonder… he was brought up by the same person who brought up Hinamori-san… would he actually hit a girl? I'll have to speak to his grandmother later, won't I?"

Shirezu then turned and began to walk away. Hana wasn't sure if he had ever gone to speak to Toshiro's grandmother about the matter, however, she did know that Toshiro didn't come to school for a couple of days, so she could help but wonder what had happened.

_

* * *

_

Author's note – Nashini is basically using Toshiro being around as an excuse to beat up on Hana, as he has a scapegoat to blame it on. Also, Toshiro wouldn't be at school due to the black eye that Nashini gave him. Whether Shirezu spoke with granny or not will be left for later.


	3. Switching

**Softly Snowing  
~ Switching ~**

The bank of the river was covered in soft grass that tickled Hana's fingers. She found the river flow to be quite enjoyable, however, the other reason she came was that she had long after starting school, figured out that Hitsugaya Toshiro would come there and sit and watch the clouds pass on by him.

She had a major liking for the cool grass in her fingers though, and on top of that preferred the water, so she had a hard time understanding why he would just go and stare at the sky sometimes. He could sit for hours watching the same thing, but on the river, boats went up and down, so that was defiantly never the same.

She had thought many a time to go and ask him about this, but she had to clearly remembered what Nashini had done before. He had been hurtful, cruel, and hurtful, to the point that she could not trust the eldest of the Kamoku family not to do something hurtful to her ever again.

In fact, as she glanced down at her arm, which had yet another bruise, ever since Nashini had figured out that he could blame the injuries on Toshiro, he had not hesitated to hurt her when he was frustrated at her. This had become more and more frequent as of late, and she choose to hide them in her kimono.

She not once spoke up against her brother, but she didn't accuse Toshiro about the whole matter either. However, she didn't once go and defend the boy and tell the truth either. It was almost as if she feared what the older boy might do, even in front of their parents. He also had a look in his eye that said that he enjoyied it.

That look had never been there before, and now was playing at her heart, pulling at it and causing her a great deal of grief. A small voice inside her head told her she should speak up, but truth was obvious that she never did. There was also a reason perhaps beyond the fact that she was afraid of her brother.

She was also afraid that she wouldn't be believed if she told the truth, as a whole lot of people she knew thought that the boy was a jinx. Sometimes, she felt that way too, concidering that she had gotten hurt everytime she had been with him. She also had met him in a snow storm, of all places, the first time that they had met.

She found the cool grass, to be nice, cool and refreshing to her finger tips. Of course, it also tended to stain her kimonos if she was not careful, so she was always extra careful with this, lest her mother became angry. Thus she never ran around playing in the grass, only letting herself lie in it, her finger tips touching it.

She glanced over to where Toshiro had been sitting, but found him to be gone. Frantically she glanced back up, only to see that he was glaring down at her. "Why do you keep following me?"

"I can sit on the bank too, can't I?" she suddenly asked.

"The only days you haven't come have been the rainy ones, and you always glance over to where I like to be. You didn't come here before school started," the boy stated firmly, his teal eyes narrow.

"Perhaps it makes me feel grown up," she stated, a smile on her face.

"You wouldn't know what that means," he stated coolly, continueing to stand there and glare at her.

"And you would?" she suddenly asked.

"What I know is that being an adult means one can't act like a child anymore," the boy stated firmly.

"So then, you wouldn't know, right?" she smiled, thinking she had proven her point.

"I have never been allowed to be a child," the shock was evident on her face when this comment came from his mouth. "I have never been allowed to play along side other children. I've always been stuck in the background, staring in."

"But that doesn't mean you can't act like a child anymore,"

"No… but I defiantly am not allowed to. Perhaps an adult can still act like a child, but very little of the time. It is part of growing up, they say," the white haired boy began to walk away."

"Toshiro-kun!" the girl suddenly called out, sitting up from the position she had been in, only to have Toshiro stop, turn, and glare at her.

"It's Hitsugaya," the boy stated firmly. "What is it that you want exactly?"

"Who says it is part of growing up?"

"My Granny does," he sighed, continuing to walk away.

"She must be very wise then!" Hana continued to smile.

"Stop following me…" Toshiro glanced down at his feet and watched the pebbles roll about as he stepped.

"Hana!" both looked up at that very cheerful, somewhat familiar voice.

"Shirezu!" Hana suddenly called out, then realized who she was with, and wondered if they might get in trouble. The boy walked over to them, while two teal eyes glanced him up and down.

"Does your brother Shirezu have a twin?" Toshiro asked compeltly out of the blue.

"Yes! His name is Hita," the girl smiled, quite please that he had guessed this.

"You're not Kamoku Shirezu, are you?" Toshiro stated firmly. "You're Hita, Kamoku Hita?"

"Don't be stupid Toshiro-kun! Of coruse Shirezu is Shirezu! Hita is sickly, so he isn't allowed out of the house!" Hana protested.

"Is he really sick, or do your parents just think so? Am I right that you and your brother switch every so often so that you can have some freedom?" the small white haired boy continued to walk away.

"How did you know?" Hita asked, causing Toshiro to stop again and turn.

"Because your two personalities aren't the same," and then he was gone.

"Hita… but…" Hana became confused. "How long…"

"A couple of weeks now… ever since school started really, though we hadn't tried sending me to school," the boy replied sadly. "Please don't tell anyone…"

"But… Hita… you aren't supposed to leave the house," the small girl protested, full of worry.

"And not to get to live life? I really am not sick, like he says. But if I was, don't you think I would wish to see the outside world while I can?" the boy stared at the sky. "I like watching the sky… it is the one thing I can do from the house. I wish I could be free like a bird sometimes. Please don't tell?"

"I promise… no telling," Hana then made a comment. "I am starting to think that Toshiro-kun really is a jinx."

"You know what, I kind of felt that he was, sort of," Hita commented suddenly. "… the good kind of jinx that brings you good luck!"

"No way, all I have ever had was bad luck because of him!" Hana stated.

"It is all in perspective, if one thinks about it," Hita stated. "Anything can be either, so it isn't really him, but the person thinking they've been jinxed who sets everything, right?"

**M**

Meanwhile, Shirezu sat in his brother's place at the house, himself staring at the sky. Not only was this enjoyable, but Hita being able to have some freedom was also something that made him for some reason or another feel good. He closed his eyes for a bit, relazing, only to have his arm suddenly grabbed, hard.

"Nashini?" he suddenly growled.

"Don't take that attitude suddenly after all these years, Hita!" the other boy laughed. He then threw a punch at Shirezu's face, only to have it grabbed. "What the…"

"I am not Hita…" the boy grinned. The plan had been, when this had started, as a way to catch Nashini in the act.

"Shirezu?" the older boy suddenly turned pale, then he got a snotty attitude. "Where is Hita. Mother and father will be quite livid."

"You tell them, I tell that it has been you abusing Hana, not to mention also Hita," the older of the twins stated firmly. "I know it hasn't been Hitsugaya Toshiro hurting her."

"How would you know!" the older boy stated.

"The handprints in the brusing are larger then mine. That boy's hands are smaller," the boy stated. "Here is the deal, you not tell about this, I won't tell about your abusing them."

"What, don't you care about them?" Nashini snapped.

"Actually, I do care, which is why I am doing it the way that I am," the other boy smirked. "See, I don't want to say anything about you unless they want me too, or for some reason you've gone too far."

The eldest couldn't argue the point.

_

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_

Author's note – I have what I want to do for each chapter jotted down. As you can see, it has formulated a kind of slice of life type fanfic, but it all leads to one concusion at the end!


	4. Football

**Softly Snowing  
~ Football ~**

Hana found that she liked going to school. That was one of the ways that she was allowed out of the house, because the majority of her family thought that she was safer off being inside. But unlike Hita, she could actually get to go out. The boy was stuck in the doorway, leaning up against the doorframe, always watching them to leave.

However, on her way and too, she would stop near the field where Nashini and Shirezu stopped to play with a leather ball that they kicked around. She would sit on the green hill, letting the breeze run through her long, dark brown hair, that was tied back with a ribbon to keep it out of her face. She enjoyed watching, even though she didn't comprehend what they were doing.

Nashini had a problem with her being there. He made complaints about how their parents would want her back home and inside as soon as school ended. He also complained about the fact that he lost his concentration whenever she was around. This was possibly confirmed when he threw a tirade, while a few of the others cheered about something.

Shirezu though, had no problem, as he doubted that their parents would want her walking home by herself. He also had no problem with the fact that she was there, and never called her a distraction. He played with the ball, because it was fun. Yet there were other people who ended up telling him, he was really good at playing the game.

Hana knew that what they were doing was a game, but didn't at all understand what the game entailed. She knew from watching, that the boys used almost all of their body to hit the ball, disincluding their hands. A line of rope was stretched across the ground, one piece on either side, and the boys attempted to get it pass a person who was allowed to block it with their hands.

One of the reasons that she liked coming to this spot, was that weird boy, with the white, white hair, would come sometimes, unnoticed, sitting there and watching the other kids play, but never asking to be involved in the game. Toshiro would stay there, until someone saw him, and choose to drive him off. Most of the time it was Nashini.

She had asked Shirezu, why the older boys never let Toshiro-kun play with them. Not only did she get in trouble with Nashini for using a honor if with the boy's name, as a form of politeness, she had also gotten a look from the older of the two twins. He had told her that calling someone by their first name, without getting to know them was impolite, which was in itself confusing.

He had then told her that no one wanted anything to do with Toshiro, so they didn't go and invite him to ever play with him. He softly told her, it wasn't something to worry about, as the small boy never seemed bothered by the fact he wasn't allowed in, and simply choose to ignore the other children when they didn't ask him.

There was also the fact that Toshiro tended to be really good at things, which made the other, older children a tad mad, and jealous. That though was something that she had learned from the small school that they were in, and seeing his educational work, which surpassed the older kids quite a bit. It was also proven when, the times her eldest brother tried to beat him up, he went hurrying off, and could outmaneuvered the boys, if he needed to.

One of the days that the small boy was sitting there, she took the chance to go over and talk to him, as she for once was becoming bored with the game, and wanted someone to talk to. "Are you all right, Toshiro-kun?"

"Hitsugaya," the boy muttered, leaning his chin on his knees.

"If you want to play, why don't you ask," she suddenly asked, hoping that he might liken to the idea, and ask the boys. She wondered if they could be friends. However, he answered her question for her.

"What is the point, when they happen to not like me?" the small boy sighed, leaning on his chin, his teal eyes taking in the movement of the other male children, particularly the older ones. While most of his body acted like he didn't care about getting to join in, his eyes said another thing completely.

"I like you," the girl smiled, giving him one of her biggest smiles.

"No offence, but you're like Hinamori. You like everybody, and can make friends with everyone that is around you. That is, unless their personality is that which doesn't care about others in one way, or another." Toshiro continued to watch the boys play, sitting perfectly still.

And the boy was in truth right. The only person who didn't seem to like her was her eldest brother, and that just happened to fit his personality. At school, all the other students liked talking to her, and they wanted to be her friend, specifically because she was nice to everyone. However, everyone also seemed to shun one small boy, for no real reason, at least as how she saw it.

Suddenly, the ball came hurtling over towards her as an accidental kick had sent it flying in the wrong direction. To her utter surprise, the small, white haired boy moved, and kicked the ball back to the boys who were playing. A good deal of the other children just choose to look at him, irritation written all over their faces.

Nashini quickly stormed over, pissed that Toshiro had done what he had. "What the hell are you doing with my sister."

"He was…" Hana though found herself interrupted by her brother with a glare, and she timidly backed away, remembering that he liked to be mean for some reason or another.

"Go away Hitsugaya…" her other brother at the field stated firmly. "We don't need you playing…"

"But he kicked that ball away from me so well!" Hana stated, standing up to him, her eldest brother giving her a glare, indicating that she should shut up about everything and he glared at them.

"He's a horrible player. I bet he couldn't keep the ball away from all of us for a long period of time!" came the snappish reply.

A sudden light appeared in Hitsugaya's eyes, almost as if the challenge wakened something up. "You don't think… I could do that?"

"No… I don't," the boy stated, snapping at him, even though Shirezu shook his head, saying that wasn't something he should say.

Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, the boy took off towards the ball. Someone made the attempt to try to keep it away from the small child, but he was quicker, and maneuvered the ball away. This caused a few of the older boys to give chase, while Shirezu glared at Nashini.

"Seriously… did you want to provoke him? We don't want him around, and yet you place a bet with him to get him to go far out. You know how he got when Hinamori-san brought him to those top spinning contests."

A few minutes passed, and the small boy was still keeping the ball away from the few that were chasing him, and the other children began to slowly join in, yet the boy continued to maneuver in and out. Shirezu stood to the side, letting Nashini take the brunt of everything, as he felt that the boy needed to learn a lesson.

However, after fifteen minutes of everyone but him having joined in, he let out a groan, and then darted forward. He moved quickly, and moved better than the players. It looked like he was catching up with the small boy, but then suddenly he would pull a feint. Some of the other kids collapsed, tiered of chasing Toshiro.

He found that the boy continued to feint and dodge, maneuvering the ball out of his reach. A good deal of the other children weren't up to his speed of ability, and they slowly, but surely began to drop out. At first he had found it humorous, but that slowly turned into shock. The white haired boy's movements were better than his.

Suddenly, they heard an adult yell from the road. "What the hell are you doing bulling all those kids!"

This was the thing that stopped the small boy. Before he had heard this, he was going full-blown, but then he stopped, finally letting Shirezu to get the ball away. Everyone looked up, to see that one of the kids who had dropped out, had gone and gotten their father. He was storming down to the field, rolling up his sleeves.

And this was enough for Hitsugaya to suddenly bolt away, leaving all the other kids standing there. Shirezu felt himself out of breath, as Nashini rattled off his lies. Hana came up to him. "Ne… Oni-chan?"

"Hai?" he let out through gasps.

"I thought I saw Toshiro-kun smiling there," the small girl stated.

This caused the boy to blink a couple of times, remembering that he had in fact looked the white haired boy in the face, and had seen those teal eyes. There had at first been a coldness about them, but as he had moved, and played with the other children, especially Shirezu, that coldness had melted. The two teal eyes had been completely warm, and friendly.

"That wasn't like how people think he is, is it?" Hana stated.

"I don't have an answer for you," the boy stated, still breathing hard. The small girl could only frown, as she didn't at all understand how people couldn't see what was right in front of their eyes.

_Author's note – Wow… five months since I updated this one… always open to suggestions to expand this… otherwise it will be a very short story…_


	5. Backwards

**Softly Snowing  
~ Backwards ~**

Going to school meant that Hana could walk back and forth from school, getting to feel the fresh free air on her face. It meant that she didn't have to be cooped up inside for long periods of time. It meant that she could feel the sun on her face, and feel the seasons passing day-by-day, year by year, for in soul society, one aged slower, and thus one has to enjoy things more.

However, going to school also meant a whole lot of good things, when she was there. This made her want to run to school each day; however, her older brothers stopped her from doing so. Shirezu finally resorted to carrying her on his shoulders, not that he really minded. However, Nashini would mumble about the whole matter, and say that she was being coddled.

At school, she loved learning her kanji, and she would use a stick to write in the soft wax of her tablet. Every day, the teacher would go and melt the wax, so that the tablets were reusable. She would then let them sit over night, so that they could cool, and the students would bring in their tablets that they had used for practicing at home.

Some of the older students had moved onto using paper. The only one around her age group, who had done so, was Hitsugaya Toshiro. Hana couldn't help but notice that a lot of the older students hated that he was moving through the class so fast, and Hinamori would hover over him, and give him praises for his work, only to have the small boy glare at her.

They also learned traditional songs and stories, while the older children ended up getting to read from actual books, but only those who happened to have mastered all of their basic kanji. Hinamori Momo was one of them, and couldn't put the books down. She would even go so far, as to read the stories to some of the younger ones.

Hana loved this, and would sit on the ground next to the older girl, with other children. She was quite happy about the fact that the older girl was willing to be so nice to them. Of course, all the girls and boys in the class that were younger then Momo, loved to listen to her honey sweet voice when she read the stories.

This also allowed for the older children to go out and play, and for the teacher to give each student individual attention for a short period. Ironically, though, one of the students that the teacher seemed to be giving a lot of attention to, wasn't just the ones that were struggling, but also Hitsugaya. Hana had to wonder about this, because she figured him to be quite smart.

He was so smart, that he was also reading the books too. Hana couldn't wait until she could also get to the big books, and hoped that she would end up with a nice story like Hinamori choose to read to them. She didn't though realize, Toshiro's ability to learn, caused him to stand out even more. She didn't understand, because she thought it was a nice thing.

She had been sitting with the other children, while Momo looked through the books for a good story for the day, when she overheard a couple of the older girls speaking about Hitsugaya-kun. "I can't believe she's letting the little monster learn that fast. She's only feeding the curse that's around him."

"I'm mad because she goes specifically to the library the shingami have, so that she can get him more books!" another of the girls spoke up. "He can't possibly read that fast…"

"Why are they saying those things?" Hana asked her friend Ran-chan, who had taken to sitting next to her.

"Don't you know. That white haired boy… he's read all of the books that the teacher herself owns. He's already passed the other students, who haven't even gotten to some of her harder books," the girl frowned.

"Not even Hinamori sempai?" Hana asked, completely taken by surprise.

"No… she's gotten to some of the harder books, but she loves rereading things," the girl stated.

"I'm surprised he reads faster than his nee-chan," Hana sighed to herself.

Only, she found herself corrected by Ran. "No! She's not his nee-chan! How sempai puts up with him, I never know.

Hinamori came over then to sit, so Hana at first didn't pay any attention to the whole matter. That was until sensai got to Toshiro on the individual study. She briefly over heard the words. "I think we should try something new.

At that, she heard the small boy, mutter some things, about the first six lines from a story. It sounded like a fairly easy story to read, yet he was doing it rather slowly. Nashini had snuck in, as had a few of the older kids, to watch him, and they were chuckling as he struggled with the reading. Finally, they heard his voice yelling. "I can't do this!"

At that, the small boy went running out of the classroom, while a bunch of the older kids started laughing, while the younger ones decided to join in. Hinamori's eyes went wide, and the book she had been reading got set down. The reading time was cut short, as Momo went running after the small boy, rather upset at his suddenly running away like that.

The teacher suddenly snapped. "That is most definitely _enough_!"

Hana over heard Ran mutter to herself. "Why did he have to be such a baby! Now we lost story time because of this!"

"Class is dismissed. I want all of you to reflect on what you just did!" the woman snapped.

"But sensei… my parents' say he's a demon…" one of the younger boys spoke up.

"I don't care what they say, Hitsugaya Toshiro is your classmate and as human as anyone of you. Yes, he looks a little different, but he is still a person with feelings," the woman stated, quite angry.

At that, the whole class got up and left, rather disgruntled about the whole matter. They could tell their parents all they wanted, but they really could do nothing about changing the teacher, as she happened to be appointed by someone high ranking. The kids just didn't know whom. That was something that they mumbled about.

The next day, a huge shocker was in for the class, as they went and found a bunch of the wax tablets up at the front of the classroom, with weird kanji written on them. The teacher motioned the children to sit down, and try to read the words that were written there. However, the students became frustrated with this.

A shadow fell in the doorway, one that showed that two people of different heights were standing there. The teacher glanced up. "Hitsugaya-san… would you please read what is up here?"

All eyes turned to the small boy, who carefully looked over the kanji, left to right. "It reads 'Don't… laugh… at… what… you… can't… understand."

"It does not say that," Nashini muttered.

That was until Hinamori spoke up. "Oh! I get it! I am surprised you can even read it… as it is written upside down and backwards…"

"What is she talking about?" One of Shirezu's friends spoke up.

"Yesterday, because I've been having a hard time finding something that will challenge Hitsugaya-san's reading level, I went and turned the books upside down on him, and made him read it that way," the woman gave them a smirk. "There was no reason to be laughing at him, because he's most likely the only one in class who can do that."

Hana figured this to be just one of those things that made the other children not like him even more, and wish to sit as far away from him as possible. He had always sat at a desk in the corner, but later on, it ended up moved away from the rest. Sensai moved it back each day, that was, until Toshiro moved the desk himself, indicating it was to stay that way.


	6. Bentos

**Softly Snowing  
_~ Bentos ~_**

Hana sat in the classroom with the other young students watching the teacher as she spoke to them, lecturing about history and other such things. After a bit of time, it came time to take a break for lunch, or what ever the children put their hearts and minds too, as not all of them brought meals. Hana sat with her friend Ren and watched as the boys played a game.

Of course, off to the side, Hitsugaya Toshiro simply leaned against a tree, glaring at the other children. Some might say that he didn't make an effort to join in, but truth of the matter was, he had no choice but to stand on the outside, looking in. No one ever let him be a part of the community and it was simply something he accepted.

"What does it mean to be competitive?" Ren suddenly asked, glaring at the white haired child.

"Competitive?" Hana thought about this for a few seconds. "It means you like to compete I guess."

"My older brother says that the Hitsugaya brat is competitive." The other female spoke up.

"That isn't a very nice thing to say." The brown haired girl found herself glaring at Ren.

"But he is competitive. My brother says so." Ren protested.

"The other part. Actually, my mother says we shouldn't use that word..." Hana folded her arms, her colored kimono blowing softly in the wind.

"Competitive means that someone likes competing. But it also means they like to win." Shirezu stated, suddenly sitting down between the two girls.

"Then that's the reason why nobody wants to play with him, right?" Ren pipped up.

"Something like that. There are other reasons." The male reached out and patted his small sisters head. "Nashini is going to likely be leaving school soon to join the work force."

"Is he going to become a shinigami?" Hana's friend suddenly piped up. "Becoming a shinigami..."

"No. He doesn't have spiritual pressure." The boy closed his eyes.

Another small girl walked up. "Do you know what the other girls are talking about?"

"What!" Both of the small girls became excited and Shirezu let out a groan, getting up and walking away.

"When girls talk, it is best for males to leave." The grumbling reply came and the older child slipped away.

"There is a tradition in the living world... of making someone you like a bento. In other words a lunch." The girl smiled. "I'm going to make one tomorrow."

Ren let out a sigh. "I wish my family could afford that. I would love to make one for the boy I like. It isn't fair."

"What isn't fair?" Hana became confused slightly.

"Inaba-kun!" both of the other girls chorused. "You haven't noticed him? He's around our age, maybe a year older equivalently at most!"

"Ehh..." At that, the small female turned to look at the male they were talking about. "Shouldn't we be calling him Terunori-san?"

"It isn't fair Mitsuyo that you get to have the chance to give him a bento." The other female snapped. "I'm not speaking to you."

Hana though glanced over at a certain boy, her cheeks flushing a bit. She then turned back to her friends. "I think I'll try making a bento too."

"No fair!" Ren pouted. She then turned to Hana. "You had better give him yours first! Mitsuyo is so mean!"

"But..." Hana blinked a couple of times, confusion setting in. "_Do I really want to make one? Why do girls make a bento for guys?_"

**M**

Getting home, Hana found her mother most open to the idea of making a bento. The older of the twins teased her about making it for a guy she liked, to which Hana shook her head. "I am going to make it for my nii-san." Nashini instantly said that he didn't want it, but Hita got a rather distant look on his face. However, she had one ready to go when she headed off to class.

As they walked along, Shirezu took Hana's small hand in his own. Nashini glared back at him. "Aren't you going to carry her on your shoulders like you always do?"

"I..." There was a pause in the males voice and then the older of the male twins turned towards his small sister. "Do you want to ride on my shoulders, Hana-chan, or hold my hand?"

"I am happy this way, nii-san." Hana beamed up at her brother, excited to be going to school, the bento clutched in her one hand along with her books.

"What the hell is wrong with you Shirezu? You're acting like you have some sort of romantic interest in our little sister today. That wouldn't happen to be because she offered you a bento she made herself is it?" Nashini's voice filled with irritation.

At that, the older twin suddenly pulled on the sides of Hana's mouth, causing her grin to grow better. "But isn't our little sister _kawaii_?"

"I am going to ignore you today." The other male simply narrowed his eyes, they stormed away.

"Same in regard here." Shirezu smiled, taking Hana's hand again.

"Why can't you and aniki get along?" Hana asked, only to have he question go unanswered. They arrived at school and she glanced back a few times to see Hitsugaya Toshiro with his desk pulled off into the corner, ignoring the entire class. She noticed Shirezu glancing backwards a few times, but thought nothing of it.

Around the break time, Momo got up and walked over to the small white haired child. "The other girls were bringing bentos to share with guys. I thought I'd share mine with you. Do you want to eat lunch with me, Shiro-chan?"

"Baka..." Toshiro glared at her big time, then stood up. "I always eat meals with you and granny. How is this any different."

"Shiro-chan!" Hinamori narrowed her mouth, irritation written all over it. She then glanced around the room, the hurt rather evident still. Her eyes fell on Shirezu, who was watching the situation. Momo's voice changed a bit as she walked over to him. "Shirezu-kun... will you eat bento with me. _Please_..."

"I..." The older twin blinked a couple of times, only to find himself grabbed forcablly by the female and pulled him out of the room. Hana followed her mouth forming a pout. She quickly followed them out and watched as Momo dragged Shirezu over to a nice place to sit.

Hinamori glanced up at the roof, glaring as if someone was up there. "I found someone else to eat with, Shiro-chan."

"Don't care." At that, Hana turned and stepped backwards, falling as she did. She quickly stood back up and noticed that Toshiro had somehow ended up on the roof of the small school building.

"Fine." Momo used her chopsticks and ate something, then stuck something into Shirezu's mouth. Hana blinked a couple of times as her brother's cheeks turned slightly red. She held her bento close. However, her mind was taken away from that due to Ren grabbing her arm. "Mitsuyo's already giving her bento to Inaba-kun!"

They walked over to where Hana's other friend was standing, speaking to the young male. "I would like to eat with you Inaba-kun, please."

"Inaba-kun. Hana-chan wants you to eat bento with her." Ren smiled.

Said boy glanced between both girls. "Sorry, Wakizaka-san..." He then took Hana's bento from her and then spoke up further. "I would rather eat Kamoku-sans."

At that, Mitsuyo's cheeks flared out. "I asked you first. That isn't fair."

Hana though, glanced at the bento, then at the roof where Toshiro was, and then at her brother Shirezu. She felt an ache in her heart, then burst into tears. "Nii-san!"

At that, her brother, who had been paying a great deal of mind towards a Hinamori Momo, who was paying him mind out of irritation from Toshiro's actions suddenly sprung into action and hurried over. "Hana-chan, what ever is the matter."

"That bento wasn't for Terunori-san! It was for..." The tears continued to fall down her cheeks.

"I am sorry Hana... I forgot. I got... a little bit distracted." The male glanced over at where Hinamori was, his cheeks flushing a bit of pink. However, another male had a look of irritation on his face, the boy who had taken the bento. "Just keep it." At that, the male scooped up Hana, rather awkwardly. "Come on, we're heading home."

At that, Hana felt herself lifted away. About half way home, her brother set her down on her own two feet. "I am sorry Hana... about the bento and... I can't carry you. You're going to have to walk on your own." He took her hand and led her the rest of the way.

Hiya was sitting in the door way and suddenly glared at the two. "What happened?"

"I wanted to give my bento to Shirezu nii-san and if I couldn't, Toshiro-kun. But... he got mad at Momo-chan, so she she gave her bento to Shirezu nii-san!" Hana cried.

"What? Are you an idiot!" Hita suddenly stood up.

"Well... Hinamori Momo is... she is rather nice." Shirezu stated, glancing at the ground, scratching his head.

"_Hita-chan_, you _baka_!" Said the brother who stayed home. "I switched places with you because you were jealous that you couldn't share a bento with our little sister."

"I..." The real Hita glared at the ground, his cheeks flushing red. Realization dawned on Hana and she began to laugh out loud.

"You two switched places! You did it again!" Her face brightened up greatly.


	7. Sakura Blossom

**Softly Snowing  
_~ Sakura Blossom ~_**

More time passed. For a few days after the event, the Shirezu refused to speak with his twin. Hana's mind never comprehended why, but it had something to do with what happened that day. She kept trying to tell Shirezu that she wasn't really upset about what happened, but he continued to ignore Hita whenever the other tried speaking.

However, eventually they spoke to each other again, talking and laughing, but Hana had the feeling that something was different, though she couldn't place her finger on it. It became spring time, getting close to the time that the cherry trees would begin blossoming. She sat down between them one day, candy in her mouth, enjoying herself.

"Shirezu..." Hita started, staring out at the road, waiting for their parents to come home for the day. "Could you possible..."

"Could I possibly what?" the other boy sighed, leaning forward. "Where has Nashini gotten too?"

"He's likely off bullying someone." The sickly twin sighed. "I was wondering... I was wondering if you could ask Momo-chan to go and watch the sakura trees blossom."

"Excuse me?" At that, the other male turned towards him, his eyes slashing with a bit of anger. "Hita, I happened to tell you that the stunt you pulled with her before got the other guys teasing me about it the next day. It wasn't for a until a few days later that they stopped teasing me."

"Teasing you?" Hana blinked a couple of times. "Why is it that they would tease you?"

"They thought _I _had a crush on her. I _don't _have a crush on her." Shirezu snapped out. "I am not going to do something to bring up _that _subject again."

"If we switch places, I'll tell her who I really am. I promise." Hita stated. "I really want to see her again."

"Hita-chan wants to spend time with Momo-chan because he made a friend?" Hana asked, completely confused at what was going on around her.

"Something like that." The twin that tended to stay at home stated, smiling slightly at his sister.

"No... it isn't like that." Shirezu snapped back.

"If Hita-chan says it is like that, then it is like that." The small female piped up, her tounge moving her sweet around in her mouth. "Why does he want to go see the sakura blossoming?"

Shirezu narrowed his eyes at his younger sister. "All right. He just wants to spend time with a friend. All right?"

"Then what is the matter with switching with him just this once." Hana stated, smiling at her older brother. Shirezu continued to glare while the corner of Hita's mouth twisted up.

**M**

A few days later, Hana rode on Shirezu's shoulders as they walked on their way home. Nashini stayed with them for a little bit of time, however, he happened to take off, glaring back at the two taking a different route and heading off to play football with the other males. "I guess I'll just have to head to the field on my own later."

They walked along, only to suddenly see a small white haired child stumble in front of them. Toshiro had a hold of not just his school supplies, but another. Hinamori rushed out of the alley way after him. "Shiro-chan! Just because you're angry at me doesn't mean that you have to run off like that!"

"I don't care!" The small boy stated.

"Since Momo-chan is here, shouldn't you ask her that?" Hana stated from on top of her brother's shoulders.

"I'm don't think..." Shirezu started, only to have his sister become excited and fidget.

"Oh... Kamoku-san." Momo glanced up at the male while Toshiro simply glared at the two. He seemed to be in a rather bad mood, despite there seeming to be no reason for him to be that way. "You wanted to ask me something?"

"He wanted to ask if you would go view the sakura blossoms with him." Hana smiled, thinking she was being helpful. She didn't notice Toshiro raise an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"Hana..." Her brother's hands tightened their grip on her legs.

At first, the female stared at him, then smiled faintly. "I'm sorry, I can't."

The small female child could feel her older brother suddenly tense up underneath her. "You can't. Why not?" At that, Toshiro got up and began to sneak away.

"Well... it was nice when we shared bento with each other, but..." Hinamori suddenly frowned. "That was the only time you were like that. I prefer being around you when you are like that." Momo caught site of the white haired youth trying to escape, then chased after him. "Shiro-chan! This isn't funny!" The small female then dashed off.

"She prefers being around Hita..." Shirezu's mouth twitched spasmodically.

"He's going to be sad, isn't he?" Hana frowned, her hands clutching her older brother's brown hair. For some reason he seemed quite irritated.

**M**

Things were quite as it became closer to the day that the sakura blossoms were to happen. Hana cheerfully awaited the pretty site. However, Shirezu maintained a negative attitude and grumbled, asking what was so special about that day, only to get Hana to comment on how pretty the petals were. Hita though withdrew himself.

Then, the day that the sakura trees bloomed came. Hita sat in the doorway, watching people pass by, moping as he did so. Hana bounced around. "I want to go see the flowers too."

"Shirezu and Nashini are not here to take you." The male simply stared out, not moving at all.

"You could take me." Hana stated, suddenly tackling her brother.

"No, I won't." The response that came caused Hana to pull back, rather surprised that her brother's demeanor was more like the other two.

"I thought you wanted to go see them two." The small girl sat down frowning.

"I wanted to go with Hinamori-san..." The male sat up from where he was leaning and glared even more at the street.

"So nobody gets to go?" Hana felt her lip twisting up into a pout.

At that, the male glanced at her, a frown on his face. He thought about it for a few minutes, and then held out his hand. "All right he stated."

The two of them walked along, leaving the household by itself and headed to where the trees where. Hana felt a smile spread across her lips. She began to tug her brother along and he followed after her, stumbling, something that his twin would in fact not do. She then spotted a white haired child watching as the petals fell, simply looking up the whole time. "Toshiro-kun."

At that, he glanced at them. "It's Hitsugaya-san, thank you very much." He then blinked a couple of times. "Your Hita-san, aren't you, not Shirezu-san?"

"Ahh... no." The twin that was there frowned at the small child. "Most people aren't able to tell us apart.

"Momo can. It might just have to do thought with the fact she can sense spiritual pressure." Toshiro stated.

"Is that how you figured me out?" The boy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You two act very different. You are shy in the way you act around people and he is very abrupt. That isn't normal for twins." Toshiro glared at the boy. He then turned to walk away.

"Shiro-chan! Do you want to watch with us?" Hana waved her hand.

However, the small boy turned to him, his white eyebrow twitching. "Don't _ever _call me that _stupid _nickname _ever _again." And then he disappeared, the two siblings watching him.

_Author's note – Something is going to happen the next chapter, something big. Can you guess? I am actually coming to an end of this fanfic, but if there are suggestions on how to extend it in areas, I will consider using them. Let's just say, only three more chapters after this one, and then I can work on sequels for it._


	8. Good Bye Momo

**Softly Snowing  
_~ Good Bye Momo ~_**

Not long after that, after spending many years in school with the other children, coming and going until their parents considered them ready for marriage, or simply to old and time for them to start work. Many of the older children left over the period of time. Thus it should have been no surprise that someone else would leave.

The first person that left school that Hana knew rather well was her own older brother Nashini. One day, he simply didn't come, much to the irritation of Shirezu. It wasn't so much that the twin she saw at school expected him to be at school... actually, Nashini had the habit of skipping. It was more along the lines that Shirezu didn't know what his brother would be doing. In fact, their parents hadn't even known he quit.

It started with a complaint from their mother and father, that they had been asked by the teacher why Nashini wasn't coming and if he had been told to find work as his parents felt he was too old. They both hadn't chosen to make him go towards finding one, despite the fact that many of his friends already had. They simply let him carry on as he did.

It then came down to Shirezu tracking down his older brother, upon request of their parents. His mind fell into distraction, so much so he ended up not noticing Hana following behind him, her curiosity getting the better of her. The young man asked around and then found out that Nashini found a job hauling things for the local venders.

He then asked where he could find his brother and that led him, with Hana following along, to the local place where men gathered to drink sake. Irritation and anger spread across the young man's face as he stormed into the place. "Nashini!" The small female followed in his footsteps, a few of the patrons laughing as she followed. "Nashni!"

Their brother sat yacking at some of the older men, laughing at simply talking. He glanced up in irritation. "What do you want?"

"Mother and father... could you at least have told them what you've been up too?" Shirezu snapped out.

"And then I would have had to give my hard earned money to them to help with the house, not that they need it. They aren't senile." Nashini stated, taking a drink.

"Nashini... your responsibilities..." The twin found himself interrupted.

"You're one to talk about responsibilities, when you brought Hana into this place." This statement from the eldest Kamoku sibling caused Shirezu to spin around and then grab Hana and haul her out of the room.

"Hana!" Shirezu's hand was around her wrist tightly. "Hana, don't you ever come around this place again, even if mother and father ask you to come find Nashini. Come get me instead, do you understand?"

"Not really." The answer was truthful.

"Stay away from here." The male repeated.

**M**

Not long after that, the teacher got up in front of the classroom, a smile on her face. "I have some very good news, for those who have not heard yet." Many of the students looked at her quite bored. "Every so often, one of our own ends up leaving to join the shinigami academy." Hana found herself surprised that the class perked up. "So, today is the last day Hinamori Momo will be joining us."

At that, Momo took a quick bow. Glancing back at Hitsugaya Toshiro, one could see he was not pleased with the idea of his sister figure leaving for the academy, but everyone else in the class became excited. One of the older girls not yet left spoke up. "Hinamori, you are so lucky to be able to go and join the academy."

Another spoke up, smirking as he did so. "Be sure to come and visit us. Don't forget us little folk."

"Hinamori wouldn't do that." Another girl laughed.

Rin hurried up to the girl. "I want to be able to go to the academy like you, Momo sempai!"

"Me too." Mitsuyo stated. While the friendship wasn't as good as it used to be, they still spoke with each other. Hinamori beamed at both of them.

Shirezu though frowned as he watched everyone, irritation written all over his face. At the recess time, he got up and started heading home. Hana ran after him. "Shirezu! Where are you going!"

"There is something I need to do." That was all he said. When they got to the house, his twin smiled meekly at them and greeted them. Shirezu spoke quick and fast. "Hita, switch with me for the afternoon part of class."

"This is, kind of a bit unexpected." The young man frowned, confusion written all over his face.

"Today is the last day Hinamori Momo is going to be a part of the class." His twin pushed forward, his voice demanding.

"What do you mean?" Hita's face paled for some odd reason.

"Momo-chan is going to the academy." Hana spoke up, watching as the sickly twins face twisted, almost as if he was pained.

Glancing down at the ground, he spoke up. "Don't worry about it, Shirezu."

"What do you mean don't worry about it?" The other twin became rather irate. "I know that you like her. "This is your last chance, you idiot!"

"No, this isn't my last chance. It isn't a chance at all." Hita simply stood up, heading into the house. "What good would confessing do now?"

"Hita and Toshiro-kun don't like the fact Momo-chan is leaving, do they?" Hana asked, looking up at her brother. Shirezu could only give her a weak smile, frustration written all over his face.


	9. Drop Out

**Softly Snowing  
_~ Drop Out ~_**

Hana's walks to school with her brother Shirezu happened to seem calmer, nicer for some reason after her brother Nashini started working. However, her eldest brother also became more distant when it came to people and she wanted to hide from him sometimes. His mood became dark and he complained about the family worth.

Part of the reason she liked going to school more then staying at home came from the fact that she could find time to spend with her friends and forget about Nashini. She found herself a little sad to find out that Hinamori left. When she and Shirezu told the eldest Kamoku sibling, he for some reason became elated at this, though Hana never found out why.

Of course, the small female child found the fact that Hinamori went off to the academy to be sad, however, she couldn't help but also feel happy for Momo as she understood it was something big. However, she couldn't help but notice that things were changing around her, that which she thought familiar would no longer be that way.

However, a few days after the older female stopped coming, so did Hitsugaya Toshiro. A few months passed with him not showing up and time simply passed. Hana tried asking her brother Shirezu and Hita why this was, but they brushed it off. Nashini however smirked big time, looking elated that the white haired child didn't attend school anymore.

Finally, Hana walked up to the teacher and asked what happened to Hitsugaya Toshio. A few of the other students eyed her as if it was an odd question to ask. However, the teacher choose to answer. "He decided to stop coming once Hinamori left. I visit him every so often, but he just isn't going to be coming back.

At that news, Hana decided to try and ask him why he dropped out of the class. She headed down the path and came to his house, something she had figured out the location of over time. She didn't see him anywhere and glanced around looking for the boy who looked to be around her age. She remained there, glancing around, almost afraid.

However, she suddenly heard a loud thump over by the house and saw that Toshiro had dropped down from the rood. "What are you doing here?"

"I... uhh... I..." Hana blinked a couple of times. "_I want to be friends. I can't say that out loud for some reason. I want him to come back to school, but I can' say that out loud either._"

"You're here to gawk just like the other kids. Honestly, leave my granny alone." The boy stated rather coldly. Hana found that she couldn't say anything. Two teal eyes narrowed. "I know you. You're the daughter of the Kamoku family. You shouldn't be here. Your older brother... you can't stand up to him and he doesn't like you coming."

"Nashini?" Hana asked, her eyes blinking a couple of times, her entire voice timid when it came to this one person.

"Do you have something to say to me?" Hitsugaya watched as she nodded to him. There was a moment of silence and then he spoke up again. "Look, to be honest, you aren't a very strong person. If you want to say something, no matter how negative or cruel it is, come back when you've more courage to stand up for yourself. Start with that brother of yours." At that, he turned and walked into the house leaving her outside.

Hana turned and began to walk home, bumping into Shirezu on her way. "Hana! Where the hell have you been?"

"I went to go see Toshiro." The overly truthful words simply spilled out of her mouth.

"What, why?" Her brother quickly pushed her towards the house.

"I wanted to ask him to be my friend and come back to school." Hana glanced at the ground as she was pushed along.

"You did what?" Her older brother sounded rather disenchanted with her words.

"He doesn't seem that bad." The small female sighed.

"Don't you dare ever tell Nashini that. Please tell me that you didn't convince him of both." Shirezu sighed.

"I wasn't able to do either."

_Author's note – Well... next chapter is going to be the last chapter to Softly Snowing. That's how I have it planned out. I may eventually go back and add chapters in between, but otherwise when I post the next chapter, this one is done._


	10. Self Promise

**Softly Snowing  
_~ Self Promise ~_**

"_Look, to be honest, you aren't a very strong person. If you want to say something, no matter how negative or cruel it is, come back when you've more courage to stand up for yourself. Start with that brother of yours._" This was what Toshiro choose to say to Hana, but as some time passed, she forgot exactly what he said and came up with her own saying.

"_If you have something to say to me, you need to have the courage to ask. It doesn't matter how much you want to be friends with me, unless you can stand up to your brother, he's going to keep bullying you and we can't be friends._" While the meaning in truth was similar, the meaning in truth changed in her mind.

"_I promise myself... I'll become a stronger person. I'll eventually be able to approach him._" Hana stated. She kept having a smile on her face and every so often she would see Toshiro around, but mostly he kept to himself, staying away from the other children. She also played with the other females more, playing tag.

However, one day Nashini came upon her having messed up her kimono due to tripping from running around. He stormed over, causing her friends to scatter and run away. Stepping over, he yanked her off the ground. "Mother and father are expecting you to be marriageable. This kind of behavior is unbecoming."

"I'm still a child." Hana stated firmly, her lips pushing together. "That means I can still play for awhile, until it is time for me to be married off."

"Your image that you present starts now." The boy stated firmly.

"If you don't let me go, I'll tell Shirezu or our parents." Hana stated, a pout forming on her face. Reluctantly, the boy let her go. It continued like that for some time and he stopped doing or saying things to her and focused more on bullying Hita as the one twin turned out to be an easy target. However, even then he was cautious as he never knew when the twins would switch.

Thus, Hana finally decided to go and see Toshiro. Truth was, it took some time, four or five years. But she was ready then to ask him to be her friend. She walked the long distance to his home which was on the outskirts of the village they lived in. She then looked around for him. Instead of finding hin, she found an old lady who sat in the sunlight.

"Are you looking for Momo-chan? She isn't due to visit for a few days." The woman smiled.

"Actually, I was looking for Hitsugaya Toshiro." Hana frowned.

"Toshiro? My little Toshiro?" The woman smiled. "Gomen. He headed off to join the academy not that long ago. A few days, a few weeks. Not quite sure as at this age I tend to lose track of the time."

"You mean the shinigami academy?" Hana tilted her head, rather surprised at this. "I wonder if I would be able to join."

"Well... you have to have spiritual pressure to join." The grandmother stated.

"Well, I do. It shouldn't be that hard. I'll ask my parents." The small girls said quite positively.

"Do you even know what you would be getting into if you were to become a shinigami?" The granny frowned at this. "Take time to think about it."

"But Toshiro's already gone away, hasn't he?" Hana frowned at this. "He's my age, isn't he?"

"Toshiro is an exception to the rule. You are normally supposed to be a lot older before you can join." The granny stated. "Take the time to think about it. It would have been nice though, if he had known that he had a friend around here."

At that, Hana sat for awhile, thinking about everything, but then came to the conclusion that she too would join someday. At that, she stood up. "Have a good day granny! I really do plan on joining the academy." She then sped off.

_Author's note – I forgot to actually add this in. Anyways, just because this is marked complete doesn't mean that I am actually finished with this fanfic doesn't mean the story is. I actually have two sequels, in mind, each going a different direction.  
**Softly Snowing II – **This one would follow Hana as she went through the academy, a long time after Toshiro did and how she has the goal of ending up in the same division as him.  
**Blowing Blizard – **This one would focus on Hita instead and have him leave soon after Toshiro graduates and Toshiro becomes fukutaicho under Isshin as per my fanfic Admiration._


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